AND NOW, SHE IS PARTIALLY DEAF

The World Health Organization has a lot of its medical experts sitting in Geneva while hospitals in Africa have no drugs and desperate patients are forced to seek medication on the black market…Pauline Hanson

This is an experience that a colleague shared with me recently. While on duty in the surgical outpatient of a big teaching hospital in Nigeria, a young lady came in with a prescription, dropped it and was waiting to be attended to. The pharmacist asked her to have a sit and wait for her turn, she was reluctant, but in a nice manner she told the pharmacist to give her sign when her drugs are ready as she had hearing difficulty and that caught the pharmacist’s attention. When her drugs were ready, he called her(of course with a sign) and gave her, her drugs.

However, out of curiosity, he sat her down and asked her what happened to her. She gave him a story of how she was feverish and went to a nearby chemist to complain, the nurse in the shop (only God knows what she was) told her confidently with a smile that she would be fine that it was just malaria, brought out her injection tool box and administered gentamicin and gave her some tablets she could not recall the names, the lady thanked her and paid. But after three days, she discovered that there are noises in her ear and that has affected her hearing a bit, she went back to complain to her “pharmacist or doctor as the case may be’’ of the new development, the “nurse” replied her that “sometime these malaria are very stubborn ,they need iron hand” and consequent upon that she injected her a double dose of gentamicin and since then she could hardly hear a thing and did not know what kind of “sent” malaria caused this to her.

The Pharmacist was almost moved to tears, but what could he do now, however, he told her that her problem was not because of the malaria but because of the drug that was used in treating the malaria, he wrote her a small note indicating that gentamicin should not be given to her and advised her to always show her health care provider the note wherever and whenever she needs any sort of treatment, the lady was so grateful the she was almost moved to tears, she told the pharmacist that for years nobody has ever told her this in all the hospitals, pharmacy and clinics she has been to except one oyinbo woman that just mentioned it to her (which was how she knew her problem was related to that drug) but did not take time to explain it to her let alone give her a signed tag.

As it stands, the deed has been done and now she is partially deaf.

Shared by Pharmacist Tochukwu Ufondu, Enugu

N.B scroll down and leave a comment

ALSO have you read;

Can you deliver 8; http://mypharmacymydream.wordpress.com/2013/10/18/can-you-deliver-8/#more-796

see what education has done to our health sector; http://mypharmacymydream.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/see-what-education-has-done-to-the-health-sector/

the day i almost gave up; http://mypharmacymydream.wordpress.com/2013/10/17/the-day-i-almost-gave-up-by-pharmacist-uyanne-steven/#comment-95

This is a truly moving and sad story. However, the World Health Organization is not the problem. The Federal, State and Local government officials responsible for providing healthcare and enforcing laws that prevent malpractices are directly responsible. External organizations, like the WHO, are there to provide general guidance, and make recommendations if invited. It is up to each country to contextualize and adapt these recommendations. 53 years post -independence, Nigerians should hold themselves FULLY accountable for their state of development.

This is a truly moving and sad story. However, the World Health Organization is not the problem. The Federal, State and Local government officials responsible for providing healthcare and enforcing laws that prevent malpractices are directly responsible. External organizations, like the WHO, are there to provide general guidance, and make recommendations if invited. It is up to each country to contextualize and adapt these recommendations. 53 years post -independence, Nigerians should hold themselves FULLY accountable for their state of development.

This is totally absurd,..what is d relationship b/w aminoglycosides(gentamycin) and malaria..a nurse does not hv any right to self prescibe and dispense drug..dis is d product of a half baked health sector coupled with professional egotism by all health professionals.

what a painfull thing,pls im not a pharmacist rather a medical laboratory scientist pls what is ur council doing about this quacks who go about opening chemist,i once worked in one clinic,one of the auxillary nurse i met there,couldn’t write but she gives injection and to my greatest surprise i saw her on friday she has opened a chemist and i was just as surprised as anything,in my presence somebody bought drugs and i was still there when the drug was returned cos ants covered the whole bottle cos the drug has been opened prior to that day